"That whore is gonna ruin everything . My life, my career. I swear, I'll—"
"Calm down! You're letting your anger take over!" he still tried to reason with him.
But he did not listen, so Terrence tighten his grip, cutting off just enough air to knock him out before the neighbors noticed what was happening.
Then he dragged him back to the house. Effie followed close behind.
Inside—the main door closed with a soft thud, muffling the world outside.
"Look, what's going on here? Why's Uncle Tyler so pissed? It can't just be dinner, right? He'd be yelling at both of us if it was."
Effie didn't answer right away. Her hands were shaking, so she clasped them together tightly.
Seeing this, Terrence grabbed a glass of water in the kitchen and handed it to her. Then he turned to his uncle, and laid him on the sofa.
When she finally settled, he pressed, "Start talking. I'm done being kept in the dark."
She hesitated, swallowing hard. "I will... but first, you have to tie him up."
"Why?"
"He's dangerous." She looked away. A flicker of disgust flashed in her eyes.
"Don't worry. He can't hurt you. Not while I'm around."
His words weren't baseless. Right now, even a trained fighter wouldn't last a minute against him.
But just to be safe, he checked him for any weapons.
There was none.
After that, he turned his attention back to Effie, who stood in the far corner of the room.
The way he looked made her uncomfortable. It was like staring into someone who had seen much more of life—a strange thing, given his age.
She was right. This was nothing compared to what he experienced in his past life.
Back then, it wasn't uncommon for some soldiers to break mentally. He even killed his own comrades to keep his team safe.
"You can be honest with me." he reassured her.
Slowly, she picked up her phone and showed him a video.
The screen displayed a laptop monitor with something that would make anyone's stomach twist.
"That bastard!" He clenched his fist. "You just let him do this?"
If that was true, then she was just as guilty.
She shook her head. "No, I just found out. I kept quiet cause I was scared of what he would do."
"But I had enough. So I gathered evidence and threatened to report him if he didn't stop."
Terrence reached for his phone and started dialing 911.
But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw her panic.
"Behind you!" she screamed.
His uncle regained consciousness and lunged at him.
Terrence clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Bastard! I'm done treating you like a human being."
Just before he got tackled, he turn and drove his elbow into his uncle's side, making him stagger.
BAM!
Next, he pulled Tyler's arm forward. Using the momentum, he struck the heel of his palm into Tyler's chin.
BAM!
His uncle was stunned, but it wasn't over.
Terrence threw a right straight, followed by a left hook. To finish it off, he grabbed the head with both hands and drove his knee into Tyler's face.
BAM!
A quick brutal combo—efficient, clean, and effective.
THUD!
His uncle's body slumped onto the sofa, but it did little to minimize the damage. To anyone watching, it looked like Terrence was trying to kill him.
Which definitely wasn't the case... probably.
Effie stood there, wide-eyed, almost breathless. Not just by the violence, but by him. The way he fought... it wasn't normal.
There was no way someone could pull that off without serious training. But how? She watched him over the years, and he was never the type to resort to violence.
He turned to her and gently patted her head. "Told you. No one can hurt you while I'm here."
That did it.
Her heart raced…and then she moved. No thinking, no warning. She embraced him and kissed him hard.
Terrence was caught off guard by her actions, but he didn't hate it
No, he kissed her back, their tongues reaching for each others. He could taste the sweetness of her lips, feel the heat of her breath as their kiss deepened. It was too addicting.
But he stopped halfway, knowing this wasn't the right time.
"We've got bigger things to handle. Just call the cops and tell them what went down,"
"Okay." She looked disappointed but obeyed anyway.
After fifteen minutes, the sound of sirens faded outside. The police officers stepped through the front door.
They explained what happened, and the police began searching the personal office, seizing his laptop and other evidence.
Though Tyler protested, the officers made it clear his permission didn't matter. There was enough proof to justify the search.
As they led the criminal away in handcuffs, he stopped and glared at the two with resentment.
"You traitors. You used my money—and this is how you repay me?" He spat out before turning his glare on his nephew.
"You... Nobody wants you. But I let you into my house because you're my sister's son. And now you side with that whore? What—are you lovers or something?"
Effie instinctively hid behind Terrence's back.
"Shit, you don't even try to hide it. Ungrateful bitch!"
Terrence stepped forward and gave him the middle finger. "Don't blame us. You did this to yourself."